Electric clock



Feb- 24, 1931. K. G, i 793,954

ELECTRIC CLOCK Filed May 25, 1927 V p /f Patented Feb. 24, 1931 UNITEDSTATES ELECTRC CLE Application le May 25, 1927.

My invention relates to an improved electric clock particularly adaptedto be driven by an A. C. motor. The object of the invention is toprovide an improved and eiiicient electrically operated clock.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the works ofa .cloclr embodying my improvements.

Fig. 2 is a right hand edge view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 41 is a fragmentary view, in actual size, of the upper part of aclock dial and my re set signal.

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals 10 designates a irontframe plate, 11 a similar rear plate, both connected rigidly by suitablebraces 12, all forming a slreletonized prismatic mechanism :traine inwhich is mounted all the cloclr mechanism more generally 'called theworks 13 is the hour handarbor and le the minute hand arbor projectingoutwardly and through a dial 15 (see Fig. 1). 16 is the main driven gearof the cloclr mechanism iixed on arbor 14 and rotates one revolution perhour, suitable gear reduction means connected with gear 16 being allwell known in the art and used to rotate arbor '13 one revolution ereach 12 hours. Said gear 16 is driven y a pinion 17 on shaft 18, thelatter having a large gear 19 rotated by a pinion 2() to revolve onerevolution per minute, said pinion 20 fixed on a shaft 21 projecting outfrom a transmission housing 22 mounted within the lower part of theframe.

23 is an A. C. motor preferably of 3600 R. P. M., and its armature shaft24 (see Fig. l) connected to the gear reduction means Within housing 22to rotate pinion 20 at a speed of 1 R. P. M.

I will now describe my releasing means for starting and stopping theclock ringing mechanism, usually at the hour and half hour.

24 is a disc cam on shaft 14, with two di- Seral No( 194,669.

amotrically opposite radial shoulders, 2" is an oscillatable camengaging pivotably fixed in a shaft 2@ in the iront and rear plates10-11 and above said disc cam.

The free end of said arm 25 normally enu gages one shoulder oi the cambeing oscillated in a vertical plane hy the movement of said cam andsaid movenent oscillating the sha-ft 26 to raise another arm 2i lined insaid shaft and extending toward. the right hand side and in front ofplate 28 is a retrieving coil spring pressing downwardly arm 2'? thelatter being movable downwardly to a certain position only as sli. inFigs. l. and 2. .fat the extremity arm provide a depending pivoted plate29 pressed with its lower edge a inst the outer face oil plato 'l0 leycoil spring 3G er like means. 31 and 32 tiro parallel vvertical slots inplate lO all but the lower parts of said slots being normally coveredloy plate 22. 42 is a pin in the central part oi' plate 10 to limitdownward rn arm 2?.

25 and 27 and thus plat ly to about the dotted li io. .nove

slot 31, the lower odge aid plate 22% nassing over the iront protrudingend of rever 33 movable vertically in slot 31 and pivoted a recessedcollar 3S on. a su.. 1n plate 11 and a 'or-ace Bil fse The downwardinovenie strike control gear lined on shaft 37 close to f and rearwardof pinion 39. This control gear has the usual perimetral shallow teeth40A and deep notches 10B (Figs. 3 and 5) which control the strikingmeans to sound the hour or half hour. all is a Hat spring fixed to theupper and inner part of rear plate l1, its lower end normally pressingshaft 37 and its gears rearwardly in free position and lever 33 normallyin upper position as shown in Fig. 2. l

The above described operation throwing pinion 39 into mesh with theconstantly running drive vfar 19 sets up the striking mechanism of myclock. It is obvious that pinion 89 immediately starts to rotate whenengaged with gear 19 and then gear 40 rotates as indicated by arrow 43,in Fig. 3, said ear having the regulation shallow and eep notchesarranged successivel for striking the hours and half hours, van ishereinafter referred to as the striking ear. 44 is a downwardly directedangular dat tooth (see Fig. 3) on the lower side of an angularvertically movable lever 45 the up* er end of which is pivoted on ahorizontal s aft 46 in the upper part of the frame, 47 is a tlshapedyoke fixed on and depending from haft 46, the lower terminus of saidyoke being pivotally con*- nected at 48 to a reach rod 49 extendingtoward the right side of the frame (see Fig. l) the latter end of saidrod connected at 5d to horizontal arm 5l of a vertically disposed,horinontally oscillatable spring housing 52 mounted on the inner side ofplat/e ll. aid housing has another arm 53 of L-shaped eX- ten dingdownwardly and thence horizontally toward the right side of the frameand with its extremity pivotally engaging a kick-oil" bar 54 arrangedbelow and approximately in parallel relation to lever 33. The forwardend ot said bar 54 is continuously in the slot and normally pressedupwardly in said slot and outwardly by mean" of spring ari As of a coilspring 55 (see llig it will now be understood that when schilder ortooth causes levers 2li- 2T to raise plate 2Q the subsequent downwardmovement of plate 29 causes it to enga ge thc end of lever 33 asdescribed thro wing gear into mesh and the striking gear immediatelymoves and the linger rides the shallow notches thereof, one by one,making small vibrations or oscillations of arm i5, yoke 47, moving,T bar49, which oscillates spring housing 52. The latter oscillates lever 53which 'makes short oscillating movements of kick-ofi bar 54. The freeend of said latter bar at this timefis close to the plate 29 andinwardly thereof. liow ever when linger 44 of arm drops into a deepnotch 40B of the striking gear it is obvious that bar 54 is Given acomparatively long stroke and its yfree end will lriclrout against plate29 and release it from engage ment with lever 33. The latter of courseis instantly sprung n'r wardly by s ring fil pressing gear shaft3irearwardlyy 'se-ngaging gear 39 and striking ceases.

8 in Fig. l is an upright lever with its lower end normally held againstthe magnetic field of motor 23, the upper end of said lever pivoted at 79 in the upper part of the frame, and having a lever arm 7 8Av(l7ig. el)forward of and above the main frame extending toward the dial l5 of theclock. 0n the free end of said lever 7 8A is fixed an arched sign withthe word Reset on it, said sign normallyabove the dial but will swingdownwardly in front of the dial when the current is accidentally orotherwise shut oli and arm 78 automatically drops to a vertical osition;It will then be clearly visible that t e clock has stopped when the signhas dropped down over the dial. Any person observing the signal canstart the clock by simply pressing up` Wardly on a trigger arm 78B fixedon the rear end of the pivoted part of lever 78. This lat ter actionrestores the lever 7 8 to contact with the magnetic field of the motor.Itis obvious of course that the person who thus starts the clock againmust first reset the hour and minute hands to indicate the correct time.

l claim:

ln an electric clocit with a minute hand arbor an hour hand arborconcentric thereof and suitable gears including a striking gear mountedon a shaft and driven by a motor to rotate said arbors at apredetermined speed relative to the motor speed., said striking gearhaving a predetermined number of shallow and deep notches, anoscillatable lever normally engaging said notches; time signal means andreleasing means therefor comprising a disc fixed on the minute handarbor and having cani teethi a two armed releasing member and a springpressing same downwardly, said member pivoted above said cam and one armthereof arranged in the path of said cam teeth to be raised thereby andto raise the other and longer arm of said rek leasing membera saidlatter arm movable in a vertical plane and upwardly and carry a hingedplate at its free end and spring pressed against the front frame of thecloclr,

said frame provided with a pair of vertical f' parallel slots and overwhich said plate movable, a primary release lever pivotally mountedtransversely` to the face of the cloclr and normally spring pressedupwardly and its free end normally protruding forwardlj,r1 of one ofsaid slots9 a pinion fixed on the shaft of said striking gear, operativeconnec ion between said primary release lever and aid striking gearshaft to move the latter forwardly and mesh said pinion with a of theclock mechanism to cause rotation of the striking gear, .said hingedplate of the two armed release device ada ated to be pressed downwardlyimmediately after a cani of the disc has passed its short arm and engagethe protruding end of said primary release lever and push the latterdown to cause said striking gear to rotate, and a kick-E deviceoomprismg a secondary release lever arranged 5 parallel to the firstdescribed release lever,

the free end of said kick-off lever normally in the other ofsaid twoparallel slots and arranged to be pushed against said spring v pressedplate to swing the latter out and to m disengage it from the primaryrelease lever v when the Aoselllatable ever engages one ol saiId deepnotcheeh f I mx n testimon w ereo a m signature.

KNNETH G. WHZLIAMS.

